Improvement in locks for sliding doors



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J'. CLLINS. v

LocKs F01. sL-IDING nooRs.

N.176,930. Patented May 2,1876.

jzyf. fig. 2.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2..

J. COLLINS.

LOCKS Foa SLIDING mons.

310.176.930. Patented May 2,1876.

, f1 @fi NITED STATES 'jIIIPA'IE-lv'l' FFICE,

JOHN COLLINS, HOHOKUS TOWNSHIP, BERGEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HOPKINS AND DICKINSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCKS FOR SLIDING DOORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No To allfwhom't't may concern:

Be itu'known that I, J oHN GoLLrNs, of Hohokus township, in Athe county of Bergen, in

' the State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Locks for 'Slidin g Doors; and I do hereby declare that the folfixture which is employed upon sliding doors of houses, and has for its objects to render such fixtures more economic of manufacture,A more -desirable,and efficient in operation, and' at the "same time simpler of construction, and consequently less liable to get out of order.

`Previous to my invention it has been cusvtomary in the manufacture of sliding door mortise-locks to have a vibrating catch-lever or trigger to retain the pull in place within the case of the Vlock, and the arrangement of said lever has been such, that to free the pull (to permit its automatic projection outward) it was necessary to press upward, with the thumb, the exposed end of said lever; and in this necessary manipulation of the said lever .there was more or less liability of the pull striking the hand of the person when projected outward by the throwing-spring. I propose to overcome this objectionable feature` by the use, inlieu of said usually-employed lever,'of a'push-pin, so arranged that the hand of the person in manipulating said push-pinv will naturally be in a position in which it cannot be struck by the projected pull or handle when the latter flies out.l To this end and object, the irst part of my invention consistsl in the combination, with the p ull, and a suitable spriug-catch for retainingsaid pull in an incased condition, of a push-pin, arranged below the pull, and having its outer end sufficiently exposed to permit a slightl pressure inward by the application of the forefmger, as will be hereinafter `more fully explained. It has also been customary, previous to my invention, to make the lock with a lockingbolt-or device, by means of which, through 176,930, dated May 2, 1876; application filed March 17, 1876.

`the `medium of a key, the doors to which the xtures were applied could be securely fastened together, so that neither could be slid open. p I propose 'tosimplify the mechanism of the fixture, while at the same time I render it more durable and efficient, by entirely dispensing with the usual locking bolt or device, and making the pull perform also the functions of afastener to lock together the doors 5 and to this end and object the second part of my invention consists in so combining the horizontally-sding pull with a vertically-sliding bar and a tumbler that the pull, when projected into the keeper portion of the lixture, can be moved downward sufficiently to eiiect an interlocking with said keeper portion of the fixture, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

'IoV enable those skilled in the art to make and use my improved sliding-doormortiseixtures, I will proceed to more fully describe the construction and operation of the same, referring byletters to the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is an edge or face `viewof Athe keeper `fixture; Fig. 2, va similar View of the lock; Fig. 3,'a side view of the lock with the cap-plate removed so as to expose to view the interior ofthe lock; Fig. 4, ,a similar view of the keeper, and Fig. 5 a side view of both halves of the fixture, showing the relative position occupied when the doors to which' they may be attachedare closed together,and illustratin g how the two parts'A are locked together."

In Figs. 3 and et each of the pulls is shown in the two positions it is capable of occupying, said part in each of said figures being drawn' in full lines in one position, and indotted lines in the other position, and in thefsevze eral figures the same part will be foundadesigz hated by the same letter of reference: 1r;

To avoid the possibility of ambiguity in the specification of details, I will first describe the severalv partsof the keeper portion,-and then the devices composing the lock portion of the fixture.

In the former, A is the'case, made much after the usual pattern, but-with two mortises or openings of about equal size in its convex face a, one for the accommodation of the pull B, and another for the reception of the pull of the other or lock portion of the fixture point of a sortof T-shaped catch-lever or arm, i D, which is pivoted at e on a teat projecting from the case A, and which has exerted upon it a continual spring-pressure, tending' to effect an'engagement between it and the pull B by a spring-wire coiled about its. hub, and having one end, j', resting on the teat C, or solne other fixed support, while its other end, g, bears upon lower end of arm D, as illusp trated.

E is a push-pin, the outer end of which protrudes slightly through acountersunk hole in the face of the case A, and the inner end of which coines in contact with the arm D, as shown, so that bypushing inwardly said pin E the arm D will be vibrated upon its pivot ein the direction indicated by the arrow at Fig. 3, and against the pressure of springarm g. `This push-pin E is steadied at its inner end between lugs l1J t', arranged on each side of it, and is so cut away adjacent to said lugs that the latter also act as stops to limit its extent of. end play or movement. F is a lug or abutment cast with the case A, and serving as a stop or lip for the locking pull of the other half of the fixture to engage with in a manner to be presently described.

The operation of the parts just alluded to needs little explanation, as it is quite. apparent from the drawings.

When the pull B is pushed in, into the position shown in dotted lines at Fig. 3, it is locked in this position by the retaining-arm or catch-lever D, as shown, and when it is desired to protrude the pull B for use, the outer end of push-pin E is simply pressed inward with the forenger, whereby the arm D is vi brated on its pivotal point sufficiently to effect the disengagement of its retaining point from the notch d, when, by the action of spring b, the pull B will be protruded or shot out, ready for use as a handle to pull the door by.

In the lock portion of the fixture (see Fig.

4)` there is but one mortise in the concave face of the ease A2, and the pull B2, in lieu of being mounted to slide in housings or bearing formed on, or permanently located relatively to, the case A2, is arranged to slide in a housing, I, formed -at the lower end of a sliding bar or piece, J, that moves on the back plate or side of case A2, between suitable guiding and laterally-*retaining lugs l 2 3 4, and on this bar or plate J is mounted, by a pivot at k, a tumbler piece, D, which is provided with A a spring, m, and is so shaped as to properly operate in conjunction with the bar J and its lug or pin n, after the fashion of an ordinary single tumbler-lock. I Y

The pull B2, like that described of the other half of the fixture, has a notch at d2, with which engages the locking or retaining point of arm D2, which arm is provided with a spring, and is operated upon by a push-pin, E2, in about the same manner as already explained of the devices shown in the other half (keeper portion) of the fixture.

rIhe operation of the pull B2, so far as its function of a handle is concerned, is about the same as already explained Aof pull B, and will be perfectly understood from what I have said of the latter, and from an examination of Fig.

4 of the drawings, where the pull B2 is shown in full lines in its position of disuso, and in dotted lines protruded ready to be used for a handle for pulling out the door. Y

At Fig. 5, where I have shown the two partsv of the fixture locked together, will be seen the position to which the pull B2is shifted or moved when its locking function is brought into use, and a few words will explain fullyy the operation of the mechanism by which the shown transposition of parts is effected.

` When it is desired to lock the doors together the pull B2 is shot out and the doors run together, the pull B2 freely entering through the lower one of the two' mortises into the case A of the keeper portion of the fixtures. By the insertion and turning then of a key in the key-hole o of case A2 the tumbler-plate L is first lifted to free the bar J, and the latter is then moved by the key in the direction indicated by the arrow at Fig. 4 until it is made to assume the position .or location shown at Fig. 5, whereby the pull B2 is shifted bodily into the position seen at said last-mentioned gure, and so that its end s passes behind or A interlocks with the lug or lip-like portion F.

It will be seen that by the combination of the pull B2 with the lock devices L J the' outer Tshaped portion of B2 is made capable of performing, in conjunction with the mortised-out keeper portion of the door-fixture, the function of a lock, as described, for fastening the doors together, and that thus the usual additional awkwardly-shaped and peculiarly-moving locking-bolt is entirely dispensed with. It will also be seen that by the employment of a push-pin, as shown and described, to effect the releasement of the pull when it is desired to permit the usual automatic projection of said pull, instead of a lever device such as heretofore used, not only is the danger of the knuckles being struck by the suddenly-projected pull avoided, but ythe retaining and tripping devices may be solocated as not to interfere with the downward movement, bodily, of pull-bar when the latter is protruded, in the manner and for the purpose already explained. Y

Having now so fully described the construction and operation of my improved mortiselock fixture for sliding doors that any person imago s .carrier or its equivalent for shifting the position of the pull to make it perform also the 'office of a locking-bolt, substantially as set forth. v

In vtestimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 11th day of March, 1876.

. JOHNv COLLINS. In presence of- OscAR KING, JOHN N. BLAKELY.

lL. s.] 

